The present invention relates to machine readable documents and a method for processing such documents such that unknown variable data of a specified character in an unknown, variable location on each document can be machine located, accurately read, and identified as to type for creating a composite record. In one specific embodiment the invention relates to a negotiable instrument or bank check and method of check processing for producing a composite selective image statement.
In the processing of documents, representative of commercial transactions, particularly negotiable instruments or checks, it has heretofore been necessary to run the documents through a number of separate and distinct processes in order to classify and sort the documents and glean from them all necessary information. For example, in the case of checks, the checks are first processed through a proof of deposit machine, where the checks are magnetically encoded with all pertinent information. The proof encoder system further utilizes a high speed magnetic character recognition reader and sorter to sort the checks into a variety of categories.
Subsequently, the checks are further sorted into even more categories and the checks written on the bank doing the processing (ON-US checks) are filed in a separate place. While the above process has been relatively accurate, it has been quite labor intensive and time consuming.
In a similar manner, insurance forms, credit card records, inventory lists and numerous other form documents of various kinds and description typically include "free" areas or blank zones at appropriate locations to receive handwritten indicia in the normal flow or cycle of document use. A substantial difficulty exists, however, when attempts are made to machine read a large volume of such documents and process the document for hand written matter in that the free areas or zones are positioned at unknown, variable locations on the documents and machine reading for added matter in the past has dictated whole document scanning. Whole document scanning, however, requires a large digital storage capacity which is prohibitively expensive for most applications.
In addition to the above, forms often are designed with background matter such as a regular pattern or a picture, for example, on a personal check. When such matter is encountered in a zone to be machine read the background data or picture received by the machine reader can obscure and render unintelligible to an optical character reader the hand written data which is to be accurately read.
Additionally, even if handwritten data could somehow be identified at various locations on a plurality of document formats and machine read, notwithstanding any background patterns, it is still necessary to differentiate the category or type of data being read such as the numerical amount, signature of a check, etc. so that a composite statement can be generated.
Not only would it be desirable to obviate or minimize problems of the type describe above, it would be highly desirable to provide machine readable documents and a process for automatically reading the documents wherein a conventional size and style of the documents could be maintained such that user familiarity and acceptance would not be sacrificed.
The difficulties and limitations suggested in the preceding and other difficulties encountered with previously known machine readable documents and techniques have rendered previously known systems unacceptable and substantially useless to industries involved with a high volume of document processing. As a consequence, it is believed that all such documents continue to be laboriously hand processed, often several times, in a labor intensive manner to accurately record all needed data.